Yarn winder

Abstract: A yarn winder, which is provided with good operability and which can be used for winding various kinds of yarns, is proposed by automatically setting the moving speed of a bobbin holder (8) so that it is suitable for increasing yarn package wound onto the winding bobbin holder. In the winder, while a contact roller (7) is pressed onto a bobbin (9) inserted onto a bobbin holder (8) or a yarn layer wound on the bobbin (9), a yarn (Y) is traversed by means of a traverse apparatus (6), and thus, the yarn is wound on the bobbin. The movement of the contact roller due to increase of the wound yarn is detected by a sensor (16), and the drive means is actuated based on signals detected by the sensor so as to move the bobbin holder in such a direction that it moves away from the contact roller. The drive means is a means which is actuated by signals from the sensor detecting the amount of the movement of the contact roller, and the winder is provided with speed varying means for varying the amount of the speed of the drive means and control means for stepwise or continuously increasing the speed of the drive means.

Description: The present invention relates to a yarn winder in accordance with the preamble of claim 1. Such a winder is known from EP-A-0 460 546. In such a known yarn winder, the increase of wound yarn is detected as the amount of movement of a contact roller, and the speed of a winding bobbin holder moving away from the contact roller is set always constant or is set at a constant value for a time interval which value is programmed in accordance with the wound diameter of the wound package. According to such conventional winders, although the moving speed of the bobbin holder is always maintained at a predetermined constant value or is programmed to successively vary in accordance with the wound diameter of the wound package, the moving speed of the bobbin holder has to be previously set at a maximum speed which can cope with all the possible situations or it has to be temporarily set at an appropriate value on all such occasions, since the increasing speed of a package during winding up may be changed depending on the winding conditions, such as the thickness of the yarn, the traverse stroke of the package, or the winding speed. In the meantime, in order to wind up a yarn package in a good shape without causing a yarn drop at the package ends, it is preferred that the bobbin holder is moved in accordance with the increase of the yarn package and as slowly as possible. If the moving speed of the bobbin holder is set at a maximum speed which can cope with all the possible situations as described above, the bobbin holder may be moved at an excessively high speed even when a thin yarn is wound. Such a thin yarn is easily subjected to a yarn drop at the package ends, and therefore it does not require the bobbin holder to be moved quickly. Further, the moving speed of the bobbin holder is temporarily set at an appropriate value on all occasions taking the winding yarn into consideration, the setting operations may be troublesome. It is an object of the present invention to provide a yarn winder, which is provided with good operability and which can be used for winding various kinds of yarns, by automatically setting the moving speed of a bobbin holder so that it is suitable for increasing yarn package wound onto the winding bobbin holder. This technical problem is solved by a yarn winder as described in claim 1. Preferred embodiments of such a yarn winder are described in the dependent claims. The present invention will now be explained in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 is an elevation of an embodiment of a winder to which the present invention is applied; Fig. 2 is an embodiment of a flow chart of a control means according to the present invention; Fig. 3(a) is a time table of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2; Figs. 3(b) and (c) are time tables of other embodiments, respectively; Fig. 4 is an elevation of another embodiment of a winder to which the present invention is applied; Fig. 5 is an elevation of still another embodiment of a winder to which the present invention is applied. Preferred Embodiments The construction of the present invention will now be explained with reference to Fig. 1 which is an elevation of an embodiment of a winder of the present invention and Fig. 2 which is an embodiment of a flow chart of a control means according to the present invention. A machine frame 1 is disposed on bases 2 which comprise a pair of channels. The machine frame 1 has a supporter 3 projecting therefrom. The supporter 3 has an arm 5 mounted on a pivot pin 4 swingably in a vertical direction. The arm 5 has a contact roller 7 rotatably mounted at an end thereof. The machine frame 1 has a traversing apparatus 6 projecting therefrom in such a manner that it faces and is in parallel with the contact roller 7. The traversing apparatus 6 traverses a yarn in a direction perpendicular to the sheet on which Fig. 1 is illustrated. The machine frame 1 has a slider 11 mounted movable in a vertical direction, and the slider 11 rotatably supports a bobbin holder 8. The bobbin holder 8 is driven by an electric motor (not shown), and a bobbin 9, made of paper, is inserted onto the bobbin holder 8 in Fig. 1 so that package 10 is wound on the bobbin 9. The rotation of the electric motor (not shown) for driving the bobbin holder 8 is controlled by a controller (not shown) in accordance with a well known manner so that the number of rotation of the contact roller 7 coincides a predetermined value during winding operation. Further, an end of a pneumatic cylinder 19 is pivoted to the arm 5 by means of a pin 17 while the other end of the pneumatic cylinder 19 is pivoted to the supporter 3 by means of a pin 18, and a predetermined compressed air is supplied to the pneumatic cylinder 19 so that the weight of the arm 5 and the contact roller 7 is supported by the pneumatic cylinder 19 while a predetermined contact pressure is exerted between the contact roller 7 and the bobbin holder 8. A sensor 16 is disposed at a position near the arm 5. When the contact roller 7 is moved upwardly for a small distance due to increase of the wound package 10 during the yarn winding operation, the small distance is detected by the sensor 16 which is formed in a limit switch type, the slider 11 which is supporting the winding bobbin holder 8 is moved downwardly, i.e., in a direction wherein the bobbin holder 8 moves away from the contact roller 7, for a predetermined distance. More specifically, the slider 11 has a nut 14 secured thereto, and the nut 14 engages with a bolt 13 secured to a bracket 12, so that slider 11 is moved in a direction designated by an arrow C by means of a stepping motor 15. As described above, the yarn package 10 is formed on the bobbin 9 inserted onto the bobbin holder 8, and when the contact roller 7 pressed to the package 10 is moved upwardly for a small distance, the sensor 16 is switched on, and the stepping motor 15 is started, and when the bobbin holder 8 is moved downwardly, the sensor 16 is switched off, and the stepping motor 15 is stopped. The above-described operation is repeated as the wound package 10 increases until the package 10 reaches the predetermined amount. When the package 10 reaches the predetermined amount, the stepping motor 15 is started so as to lower the slider 11 downwardly, and the bobbin holder 8 is released from the contact roller 7 and then is transferred to the doffing position and is maintained there. Then, the plate 20 engaging with the bobbin, on which the yarn package 10 is formed, is pushed along the bobbin holder 8 by means of a pneumatic cylinder (not shown) so as to push out the package 10. More specifically, when the rotation of the package 10 is stopped by means of a braking device (not shown), the package 10 is pushed out from the bobbin holder 8 by means of the plate 20. Thereafter, an empty bobbin 9 is inserted onto the bobbin holder. Then, the foregoing operation is repeated for winding a new yarn package. Now, the operation of the control means of the present invention will now be explained in detail with reference to Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, when the winding of a yarn is started, the program starts (at step P 0 ), and it proceeds to step P 1 . At step P 1 , if the sensor 16 is switched off, then step P 13 takes place through step P 12 , and then step P 1 again takes place. Contrary to this, if the sensor 16 is switched on at step P 1 , step P 2 takes place where the timer is activated. Then, if the time elapsed T is smaller than a predetermined time a, the stepping motor 15 is started so as to lower the bobbin holder 8, i.e., to move the bobbin holder 8 away from the contact roller 7, at a predetermined speed A, and then the step P 1 takes place again. At step P 1 , if the sensor 16 is still being switched on, step P 2 takes place, and further step P 3 takes place. At step P 3 , if the time elapsed T is larger than the predetermined time a, step P 5 takes place. At step P 5 , if the time elapsed T is smaller than the predetermined time b, the stepping motor 15 is moved at a predetermined speed B, and then the step P 1 takes place again. If the sensor 16 is being switched off at step P 1 , then step P 12 takes place where the timer is turned off, and then at step P 13 , the stepping motor 15 is stopped and the winding operation is continued until the sensor 16 is switched on again. When the time T elapsed exceeds the predetermined time b at the above-described step P 5 , step P 7 takes place. At step P 7 , if the time elapsed T is smaller than the predetermined time c, step P 8 takes place where the stepping motor 15 is moved at a predetermined speed C, and then the step P 1 takes place again. If the time elapsed T exceeds the predetermined time c at step P 7 , i.e., if the winding condition exceeds the maximum specification of the winder, step P 9 takes place where the winder is stopped, and at step P 10 , the timer is turned off, and step P 11 takes place. The above-described predetermined speeds A, B and C indicate the rotating speeds of the stepping motor 15, in other words, the speed of the bobbin holder 8 moving away from the contact roller 7, and they are set in such a condition as A<B<C. In the above-described embodiment, the predetermined time b, which includes the predetermined time a, and the predetermined time c, which includes the predetermined time a, are accumulated timer operating times, i.e., times wherein the timers are switched on. However, the predetermined times b and c may be individual timer operating times, which do not include the predetermined time a nor b, respectively, as illustrated in Fig. 3(b). Further, the number of the levels, which was three, i.e., A, B and C, in the above-described embodiment, is not limited. In addition, although the speed was changed stepwise in the above-described embodiment, the speed may be changed continuously as illustrated in Fig. 3(c). Although a manual winder which has a single bobbin holder was exemplified in the above-described embodiment, the present invention may be carried out in an automatic bobbin changing winder as illustrated in Fig. 4 which has a turnable turret table 21, which has two bobbin holders 8 and 8' rotatably supported thereon. In this embodiment, the amount of the displacement of the contact roller 7 is detected in a manner similar to that of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, and the turret table 21 is turned in such a direction that the bobbin holder 8 onto which the yarn is being wound is moved away from the contact roller 7, and the turning speed of the turret table 21 is varied in accordance with the flow chart of the present invention. In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the moving speed is varied in accordance with the on and off signals of the sensor 16 and the times elapsed. The winder of the present invention may include two bobbin holders, and the contact roller may be pressed to the bobbin inserted onto one of the bobbin holders and the yarn may be traversed along the bobbin so as to be wound on the bobbin, and when the amount of yarn wound on the bobbin inserted onto one of the bobbin holders reaches a predetermined value, the winding of the yarn may be changed to another bobbin inserted onto the other one of the bobbin holders. The winder includes a first slider guide means which guide the bobbin holder from a winding position to a doffing position, a second slider guide means which guide the bobbin holder from the doffing position to a stand-by position near the winding position, sliders slidable along the first and second slider guide means, and carriers which carry the bobbin holder and which can be transferred between the sliders of the first and second slider guide means. An embodiment of this type is illustrated in Fig. 5, and the difference from the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 will now be briefly explained. The machine frame 1 has an opening 1a substantially formed in a triangular shape at position below the frame 3, and a first slider guide means 30 is stationary secured inside the machine frame at a position near the substantially vertical right side of the opening 1a. Further, the machine frame 1 has a shaft 38 extending in an axial direction of the bobbin holders 8 and 8' at a lower left position of the opening 1a. A second slider guide means 37 is swingably supported by the shaft 38 and is pivotably connected to a pneumatic cylinder 39. Thus, the second slider guide means 37 can be swung by means of the pneumatic cylinder 39 about the shaft 38 as indicated by an arrow A in Fig. 5. In addition, a slider 33 is vertically slidable along the second slider guide means 37 as indicated by an arrow B in Fig. 5, while a slider 34 is vertically slidable along the first slider guide means 30 as indicated by an arrow C in Fig. 5. Carriers 35 and 36 rotatably support the bobbin holders 8 and 8', respectively, and the bobbin holders 8 and 8' are connected to drive motors (not shown), respectively, which are integrally fixed to the carriers 35 and 36, respectively. When the carrier 35 or 36 is connected to the slider 34, the carrier 35 or 36 can be moved from a winding position, where the bobbin inserted onto the bobbin holder 8 or 8' is in contact with the contact roller 7, to a doffing position by means of downward movement of the slider 34 along the first slider guide means 30. When the carrier 35 or 36 is connected to the slider 33, the carrier 35 or 36 can be moved from the above-described doffing to a stand-by position, and further from the stand-by position to the winding position by means of the swing motion of the second slider guide means 37 about the shaft 38 and the sliding movement of the slider 33 along the second slider guide means 37. According to the present invention, since the moving speed of a bobbin holder can be automatically set so as to be suitable for increasing yarn package wound onto the winding bobbin holder, operability is very good, and the winder can be used for winding various kinds of yarns. Further, since the moving speed can be varied in accordance with the thickness of the wound yarn, a yarn package can be formed in a good shape without causing yarn drops at ends of the package even when a thin yarn, which has been often suffered from such yarn drops, is wound.

Claims: A yarn winder comprising a bobbin holder (8) for inserting a bobbin thereonto, a contact roller (7) pressed onto the bobbin inserted onto the bobbin holder (8) or a yarn layer wound on the bobbin, a traverse apparatus (6) for traversing a yarn along the bobbin, a sensor (16) for detecting a movement of the contact roller (7) due to increase of the wound yarn, a drive means (11-15) which is actuated based on signals detected by the sensor so as to move the bobbin holder (8) in such a direction that it moves away from the contact roller (7), and speed varying means for varying an amount of the speed of the drive means, characterized in that the winder further includes a time limit means which is actuated by signals from the sensor (16) detecting an amount of movement of the contact roller (7), and control means for stepwise or continuously increasing the speed of the drive means (11-15) at every predetermined time elapsed by the time limit means. A winder according to claim 1, characterized in that the winder includes a rotary table (21), two bobbin holders (8, 8') rotatably projecting from the rotary table (21), and the bobbin holder, onto which the yarn is being wound, is moved away from the contact roller (7) by means of a drive means of the rotary table. A winder according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the winder includes two bobbin holders (8, 8') rotatably projecting from a machine frame (1), and individual drive means (30, 34, 36; 33, 35, 37) for moving the two bobbin holders, respectively, based on increase of wound yarn. A winder according to claim 1, characterized in that the winder includes two bobbin holders (8, 8'), and the contact roller (7) is pressed to the bobbin inserted onto one of the bobbin holders and the yarn is traversed along the bobbin so as to be wound on the bobbin, and when the amount of yarn wound on the bobbin inserted onto one of the bobbin holders reaches a predetermined value, the winding of the yarn is changed to another bobbin inserted onto the other one of the bobbin holders, and a first slider guide means (30) which guides the bobbin holder from a winding position to a doffing position, a second slider guide means (37) which guides the bobbin holder from the doffing position to a stand-by position near the winding position, sliders (33, 34) slidable along the first and second slider guide means, and carriers (35, 36) which carry the bobbin holder and which can be transferred between the sliders of the first and second slider guide means.

Inventors: SEIKE YUJI, SUGIOKA TAKAMI, YUDATE TOSHIHIRO, SEIKE, YUJI, SUGIOKA, TAKAMI, YUDATE, TOSHIHIRO, SEIKE, YUJI, C/O TEIJIN SEIKI CO.,LTD., SUGIOKA, TAKAMI, C/O TEIJIN SEIKI CO.,LTD., YUDATE, TOSHIHIRO, C/O TEIJIN SEIKI CO.,LTD.
Applicants: TEIJIN SEIKI CO LTD, TEIJIN SEIKI CO. LTD.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B65H54
IPC codes: B65H54